Category: Charity

The pardoning of Sheriff Joe Arpaio by President Donald Trump was not a surprise to many, particularly when his staunch backing of the one-time longshot candidate comes into consideration.

Still, many familiar with the crimes of “Sheriff Joe,” have had trouble understanding the logic in allowing him to get off scot-free, and recently, longtime rivals, Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey, publicly reiterated their stance. Labeling President Trump’s decision as “the perfect marriage of two corrupt individuals,” Michael Lacey proceeded to fire off a list of the former Sheriff of Maricopa County’s trespasses.

It was this type of injustice that led Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey to consistently profile Joe Arpaio’s transgressions against human rights in the Phoenix New Times; a move that often left both sides in direct opposition with one another, eventually resulting in the unjust arrest of the newspapermen at their homes.

1972 marked the beginning of a new decade, as well as the year that would change the lives of Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey forever. After dropping out of Arizona State University, the two teamed up, forming what would eventually become the Phoenix New Times, changing the world of print media forever. During this time, the country was experiencing a number of changes, with the Vietnam War being at the top of the list.

As campus protest began to swiftly mount across the country, Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey, disillusioned with the uber-conservative nature in which the issues were being covered, decided to create their own news outlet, catering to the more alternative viewpoints that were gaining more traction throughout the United States.

What began as a fledgling campus newspaper, soon developed into legitimate news outlet, and at the onset of the 1980’s, Larkin and Lacey had purchased a popular newspaper from the Denver, CO area, Westword. Read more: Phoenix New Times | Wikipedia and Michael Lacey | LinkedIn

This would signify the beginning of the era of expansion for Larkin and Lacey, and New Times would go on to acquire 17 additional news publications, including LA Weekly, Miami New Times, and Village Voice.

By this time, New Times would have outlets that reached from coast to coast, making their like-minded papers available in every major U.S. market. Throughout the course of their careers, Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey remained committed to protecting the First Amendment rights of the citizens of the United States, and because of this, their publications have maintained a high readership since being placed under the New Times umbrella. After running the company since the early 1970’s, Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey decided to sell it to a group of company executives that had been with them for a number of years.

Today, the publications that Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey brought to prominence, still maintain a subscription base that reaches in excess of 60 million people each month.